A newly released report for the US military suggests that in the
future soldiers could have their minds controlled and be administered
brain altering drugs in order to make them want to fight.

The report also touts possible weaponry including
"Pharmacological landmines" that release chemicals to
incapacitate enemy soldiers and torture techniques that involve
delivering electronic pulses into the brains of terror suspects.

The report titled "Emerging
Cognitive Neuroscience and Related Technologies",
detailed here
by Wired and here
in a London Guardian article, was commissioned by the Defense
Intelligence Agency, the intelligence wing of the Department of
Defense. It contains scientific research into the workings of
the human mind and suggestions for the development of new war
fighting technologies based upon the findings.

With desertions
rising sharply and army recruitment at an all
time low, the idea of the super soldier, a warrior
who can be technologically enhanced and made to want to fight
seems to be an attractive one to the DoD.

In a section focusing on mind control, the report
states

If we can alter the brain, why not control it?
[...] One potential use involves making soldiers want to fight.
Conversely, how can we disrupt the enemy’s motivation
to fight? [...] How can we make people trust us more? What if
we could help the brain to remove fear or pain? Is there a way
to make the enemy obey our commands?

It concludes that "drugs can be utilized to
achieve abnormal, diseased, or disordered psychology" and
also suggests that scanners able to read the intentions or memories
of soldiers could soon be developed.

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The report also states that such mind scanners could be used
to interrogate captured enemies, as well as "terrorist suspects"
passing through customs.

The report clearly does not rule out the use of such mind scanning
technology on civilians as it suggests that "In situations
where it is important to win the hearts and minds of the local
populace, it would be useful to know if they understand the information
being given them."

It also suggests that the technology will one day have applications
in counter-terrorism and crime-fighting and "might
be good enough to help identify people at a checkpoint or counter
who are afraid or anxious."